2021 Early Detection Innovation Grant - Dr Zaklina Kovacevic

Project Summary

Recent studies identified that the environment in which PC develops plays a crucial role in its progression, with extensive metabolic cross-talk occurring between cancer cells and surrounding non-cancerous cells. In fact, PC cells can induce metabolic re-wiring of surrounding non-cancerous cells, coercing them to produce metabolites that subsequently fuel cancer growth. However, the metabolic changes that occur in non-cancerous pancreatic cells at the earliest stages of PC development remain to be examined. This has been particularly challenging as sensitive metabolic pathways are disrupted by the standard methodology used to isolate and test these cells. The Project Team proposes an innovative approach to investigate metabolic changes in both PC cells and surrounding non-cancerous cells during the earliest stages of PC development using new technology that enables metabolic pathways to be assessed in intact tissues at high, single cell resolution. This will provide unprecedented understanding of early metabolic changes that accompany PC development and aid in advancement of new strategies for early detection of this disease.